Conventionally widely performed are paracenteses in which a puncture needle is inserted into an affected part for removal of an internal tissue, such as a tumor, injection of a liquid medicine, or treatment with external energy, for example. To puncture an object more safely and reliably, an ultrasound-guided paracentesis is useful, in which a puncture is performed while the object of the puncture and a puncture needle are being displayed on an ultrasound tomographic image.
To prevent infection and probe contamination in the puncture, a probe cover may be attached to an ultrasound probe. The probe cover is a bag-shaped product made of an extremely thin rubber or plastic material. The probe cover covers a probe body and a part of a cable that connects the probe body to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, thereby covering the probe body. In a case where the probe cover is attached to the ultrasound probe, a puncture adapter is attached from the outside of the probe cover to guide the puncture needle.
The probe cover is fixed to the probe with a cover pressing part alone, for example. To securely fix the probe cover to the probe, the thickness of the cover pressing part is increased to secure the rigidity. This structure may possibly reduce an effective area for transmission and reception of ultrasound waves, resulting in a deteriorated image quality.